Accountability: Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

Every company has a culture, whether it is intentional or not. In some cases, culture simply arises out of the personalities of the executive team; in other cases, it results from direct planning, typically at the CEO level. No matter where it comes from, there is one element to culture that is critical to long-term success: accountability at all levels.

Maintaining accountability can be difficult because it typically means having hard conversations with people. Even when that is not the case, there might be concern that a valuable employee will simply choose to leave. Regardless, accountability is vital in building a workplace culture. Generally speaking, accountability falls into one of two circumstances: not meeting performance expectations, and not meeting culture goals. One of those is a bit easier to identify, but both are important to address.

When an employee is not meeting performance expectations, it can be difficult to isolate that poor performance from other more positive things about the employee such as having a likeable personality, a long history with the company, or a track record of previous good work. In these cases, it is not unusual for a supervisor to deliver a mixed message in an effort to “soften the blow.” I once had a supervisor inform me that he needed my permission to fire an employee. I asked if he had followed the company process, which included a counseling session, a written warning, and a performance improvement plan; he had not. I also noted that six weeks prior, he had given the employee a nearly 4% pay raise. His justification was that everyone else on the team had received a larger pay raise so therefore, a message about her performance was sent with a smaller raise. He had trouble understanding that the message he sent was, “you are doing a good job, just not as good as everyone else” instead of “you are not meeting job expectations.”

No matter the circumstance, it is important to have a clear discussion with the employee about how they are not meeting expectations, followed by what you expect. You also must be prepared to take some concrete action if they do not improve. This may include denying a pay raise or promotion, reducing their bonus, or in extreme cases demoting or terminating their employment. If not, the employee will quickly figure out that the words are meaningless. Then the consequence of tiptoeing around these hard conversations can be confusion or maybe even anger for the employee. To them, it can feel like a termination came out of nowhere because a supervisor did not clearly communicate performance problems.

Holding employees accountable to performance expectations is just one part of the equation. Accountability is not always, and in fact often not, about policies. When people do not meet the company’s stated culture goals around maintaining a positive company atmosphere, such as collaboration and teamwork, they must be held accountable for it. In an executive education class that I took several years ago, the professor gave an example of an employee who was the top salesperson but whose arrogance and belittling behavior had created a negative culture at work. I was surprised that there was any hesitation in talking to the salesperson and insisting on a change of behavior, even at risk of their resignation. In retrospect, I should have asked what kind of culture was important to the company. If the culture was simply “the more sales you bring in, the more you can get away with as long as it’s not illegal,” then no discussion was necessary because the salesperson is living up to the expectations of the culture. However, if the desired culture is one of mutual respect and collaboration, then a conversation needed to be had.

As a leader, you need to hold employees accountable to everything you want your company to be. If you do not, performance and morale suffer, and everything becomes substandard. Additionally, if you don’t hold employees accountable for maintaining corporate values, then you are ceding control of company values and culture and letting those employees set the tone. Success in the long run is dependent on a positive atmosphere in which there is no room for bad behavior or subpar performance. Holding people accountable means that those who don’t meet company and job expectations are going to leave, and that is okay; the people who stay are the ones who want to learn, grow, and work together. Those who leave might do so because they do not like to be held accountable, but the employees who remain will thrive in that environment. The culture will then start feeding itself, because employees understand they have their supervisor’s support and will feel comfortable being creative and even making mistakes. This is incredibly catchy and will help build morale, which feeds back into the positive culture you want to foster.

It is not enough to just talk about a good culture, you actually have to create it and maintain it. The talk and the reality must be the same. You can practice accountability with compassion and respect while being direct, but practice it you must! Accountability starts at the top.